Tag Archives: pregnancy

Gestational diabetes, a common pregnancy complication, has been found to be possibly related to eating fried foods on a regular basis. The research published in the journal Diabetologia discovered 13% increase in gestational diabetes among pregnant women who eat fried foods one to three times per week comparing to ones who eat once a week. The percentage escalates to 31% and more than 50% for those who eat four to six times and seven or more times per week, respectively. However, the cause-effect relationship has not been yet established in this study, and more evidence is needed. How do you typically counsel your pregnant patients about healthy nutrition? What are some of the recommendations that you make?

A study published in the Journal of Addictive Behaviors this month presents new insight into the baby brain of pregnant mothers. It has been thought that pregnant women would have a harder time quitting smoking due to their increased metabolism which may intensify triggers and withdrawal symptoms. This study set out to see if 20 minutes of mild-to-moderate intensity exercise would reduce the desire to smoke and withdrawal symptoms amongst pregnant women. Women included in the study were on average 25 years old, in their second trimester of pregnancy and smoked more than 5 cigarettes per day. They reported clear reductions in their desire to smoke post exercise as well as improvements in mood in relation to withdrawal symptoms. How do you counsel pregnant women attempting to quit smoking?

According to a small study at Columbia University Medical Center (New York City), women who suffered from polycysticovary syndrome (PCOS) and took cinnamon were able to regulate their menstrual cycle. The nature of PCOS causes disruption of the ovulation cycle so women may have difficulties getting pregnant. Women in the study who received cinnamon supplementation had about twice as many menstrual cycles compared to those who received placebo. After 3 months of supplementing, 2 women had spontaneous pregnancies. What natural medicines do you currently recommend to enhance fertility?

According to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry, teenagers are more likely to be depressed if their mothers were depressed while pregnant. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children followed the offspring of more than 8,000 mothers who had postnatal or antenatal depression. The risk of depression was determined to be about 1.3 times higher than normal at age 18 in those children. Researchers suggest treating depression in these pregnant females is important and that medical treatment during pregnancy could lower the risk of future mental health problems in the child. How do you feel about treating depressed pregnant females with medication therapy? What other options do you suggest for the treatment of depression?

The FDA has teamed up with the American Academy of Pediatrics to revise lactation information on drug labels. The “Nursing Mothers” section on drug labels will be replaced with a “Lactation” section which will include detailed information about the drug’s transfer to breast milk and its potential to harm to an infant. This will inform breast-feeding moms when they can safely take medications. Also, this would do-away with the blanket legal statement that cautions against taking nearly any medication while pregnant when in fact only a small proportion of medications are contraindicated. What are your current recommendations to women who breastfeed while on drug therapy? Are you excited about this new clinical report?

New research published in the Nutrition Journal investigated the association between generally recommended iron supplementation during pregnancy and fetal growth. Scientists looked at 337 South Korean pregnant women concluding that there was a negative association between excessive maternal iron intake at mid pregnancy and fetal growth. When looking at vitamins and minerals how do you counsel patients in general? Do you have a solid understanding of which ones are beneficial and which ones can be harmful, in what populations and in what doses?

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that pregnant women who take DHA supplementation have babies that are of greater weight, longer gestation periods, and fewer early births. During the last half of their pregnancy, 154 women were randomly assigned to receive DHA 600mg daily and 147 women were assigned to take a placebo daily. Only 0.6 percent of the women in the DHA group gave birth at 34 weeks’ gestation or less, while 5 percent of women in the placebo group gave birth at 34 weeks’ gestation or less. What benefits of omega-3 supplementation do you discuss with your patients?

A recent population-based prospective cohort study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine evaluated exposure to mercury during pregnancy and the development of ADHD behavior in children. The study concluded that low level mercury is associated with a greater risk of ADHD related behaviors. Fish consumption during pregnancy was also concluded to be protective of these behaviors. This association was seen primarily in boys. How do you balance the benefit of fish consumption and potential dietary mercury exposure in your recommendations? What fish do you recommend to women during pregnancy?